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#1
12-19-2004, 06:25 PM
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"The King and I" by Chief of Household Staff
The following was written for the "Washingtonian" magazine by John Rolfs, who worked as manager of KH and QN's palace in the 1980's. It's a long article, so I'll just give you some highlights:
"How do you run a palace? Well, for starters, I counted the number of staff--130--and decided it would be like a small, exclusive hotel.....we had 24 hour operations......just for food services alone, we had 2 food and beverage managers, a kitchen staff of 17, 3 executive chefs, 3 Arab chefs and a pastry chef from France......we had engineers, waiters, housekeepers and 4 British nannies to care for the 4 children living in the palace." "We also had a Japanese masseuse who was on 24 hour call and a hairdresser we hired from Paris because her Majesty liked the way he'd done her hair once. And we had one woman whose sole job was to manage the Queen's wardrobe. It was a big job as the Queen owned 300 pairs of shoes and rooms and rooms of dresses." "Our annual budget was $9 million, which covered the family household expenses, palace operations and official state visits. For Queen Elizabeth's visit alone, we spent $25K just on flowers." |
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#2
12-19-2004, 06:39 PM
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Part 2: Life at the Palace
"Meals were simple and always began with a soup course (they both loved soup) and dinner would have 4 or 5 salads and at least 3 entree selections followed by 4 or 5 dessert selections."
"A typical day would start at 8:30, when His Majesty would get up, sometimes ride his exercise bike, and then have a breakfast of Perrier, orange juice, Arabic tea, grapefruit, and toast we made from a bread we had shipped in from Vienna. He was very easy to please. Her Majesty would change her order more often--sometimes French toast or crepes, other times oatmeal or yogurt. But she always had a glass of water, a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk with a single ice cube in it. After eating, the King would get dressed, then go to the office. The Queen would do 1/2 hour of aerobics than get on with her schedule, which was almost as full as the King's when she wasn't pregnant." "The King and Queen actually spent a lot of time together. He would come home for lunch and later in the day they would play with the children. Many times, they would go up to their palace quarters at eight and stay there, just the two of them, till they went to bed about one in the morning. No guests, no phone calls." "They spent a lot of time reading and talking. His Majesty read a lot of aviation magazines, while Her Majesty preferred French fashion magazines. But they're favorite nighttime activity was to watch movies. I swear they've seen every American movie I can think of. We had a collection of 4000 videos--everything from "Not Necessarily the News" to "48 Hours"--and sometimes we shipped in as many as 50 videotapes a week from the U.S." "Many nights they would just sit and watch a movie while they ate dinner around 10 PM. KH loved to eat tacos; I think I could've served him tacos every night and he would have loved it. He also loved burgers and Coke; that's what he snacks on when he travels." |
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#3
12-19-2004, 06:54 PM
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Pt. 3: Possessions
"It surprised me to see how much the King and Queen could be like the rest of us. The Queen, for instance, loved to play "Trivial Pursuit." She would often have a brownie and a glass of milk before bed. And she loved to watch "Dallas." The shows were about 2 years behind America so I knew who shot J.R. when that episode ran in Jordan. But I didn't want to spoil it for her."
"The King loved to play with his ham radios. Almost every day, he would go into his room filled with computers and radios and call other ham radio operators all over the world. He would never identify himself by name but the staff would send cards and photos to the people the King had talked to. Only then would they find out they'd been chatting with KH." "QN and KH spent a lot of time at their summer palace on the Gulf of Aqaba. Their Majesties found it very relaxing and spent time swimming, boating, water skiing or just relaxing on their private beach, just 300 yards from the Israeli border." "....compared to the Sultan of Oman, KH is a man of modest wealth but, to me, his possessions seemed staggering. For starters, he owns , in addition to his 2 homes in Jordan, houses in London, Vienna, the Canary Islands and Cannes. He owns 120 Arabic horses, 36 boats, including the 90 foot yacht he uses for guests. It's a beautiful boat with one exception--machine guns are mounted at bow and stern." "He is also a big collector of classic cars and guns. In the front lobby of the Palace he has several cases filled with guns, including 2 rare antique shotguns and 1 gold machine gun. He owns 175 cars, including an antique Porsche, bulletproof mercedes and a gold Mercedes once owned by Hitler. He also took pride in a beautiful blue Rolls Royce, which was used when QN was pregnant as it had the smoothest ride." "Unless he was with another head of state, the King always did his own driving. He loved taking his children for rides on one of his 30 motorcycles. But his greatest love was flying--from his Lear Jet, 727s, and helicopters, it was his favorite outlet. |
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#4
12-19-2004, 07:14 PM
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Part 4: Children and Rest of Story
.....flying was one of the many ways KH and QN enjoyed their children. The played often with them and it was not unusual for them to go to Prince Ali's soccer games."
"They definitely indulged the children. Each had a personal computer and a motorized miniature car. Once, when KH and QN were in London, they sent home, via Royal Jordanian Airlines, a case of McDonald's hamburgers for the kids. They read to them and the children had their own zoo....but in other ways, their Majesties were quite strict. No TV on school nights and no sweets or soft drinks was an official written policy." "When Queen Elizabeth visited, the family went to Aqaba. Her staff said they had never seen the Queen so relaxed as she sat out on the beach. And she was not picky--indulging in pizza on the boat and popcorn when watching a movie." "Why did I leave? First, I was missing time with my daughter with my long days at the Palace. And my wife was very lonely......and then there was the fear that comes from being an American in the Middle East. Everywhere we went, we saw people--even children--with guns. KH wore a pistol in his belt at all times......it was hard to get used to." "I left with very good feelings about KH and QN. I respect KH as a great leader, one who is trying to bring his country into the next century while sustaining his people's pride at being Jordanian. The tragedy is he has to spend most of his time dealing with conflicts instead of concentrating on his country's development." "QN faces almost as difficult a dilemma. She has had to deal with a great deal of resentment in Jordan over her American background. Yet she has managed to become very active in Jordanian affairs, particularly in education. She brings with her values and a level of sophistication that are an asset to the country." "The final straw was when a major didn't recognize my ID and slapped me across the face. At that point, another Royal Guardsman smacked me across the back with a two by four and several others spun around and pointed their M-16s at me. They marched me to a pit where I remained for 2 hours until someone realized who I was. KH returned to Amman a few days later and promptly came to our house to apologize in person. It was a new major, he explained, and everyone was on edge because of recent threats on the King's life. I truly appreciated His concern and taking time to come to our house to explain....but now that I'd had guns actually pointed at me, I noticed them everywhere. Our stay in Jordan had been a once in a lifetime experience. But now it was time to end." |
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#5
12-19-2004, 11:11 PM
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Thanks for posting this up, its very interesting. :) Do you happen to have a link to the whole article?
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#6
12-19-2004, 11:45 PM
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Thanks very much Mary Shawn for this very insightful glimpse into King Hussein's and Queen Noor's life. I liked the fact that they came across like regular people in very unusual circumstances.
I can't resist the following though: talk about extravagance LOL. Were King Hussein and Queen Noor also accused of dipping into aid money or is this a recent invention?  |
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#7
12-20-2004, 09:55 AM
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"The King loved to play with his ham radios. Almost every day, he would go into his room filled with computers and radios and call other ham radio operators all over the world. He would never identify himself by name but the staff would send cards and photos to the people the King had talked to. Only then would they find out they'd been chatting with KH." So we can say that his ham Radios are like chating online nowadays? Wow that's cool!
and then there was the fear that comes from being an American in the Middle East. Everywhere we went, we saw people--even children--with guns. Oh God,this is so untrue,everyone-even children-had guns!! yea Right!! "The final straw was when a major didn't recognize my ID and slapped me across the face. At that point, another Royal Guardsman smacked me across the back with a two by four and several others spun around and pointed their M-16s at me. They marched me to a pit where I remained for 2 hours until someone realized who I was. cud this be true?? I dunno I kinda feel this guy is making some stuff up? (or maybe I dun wanna believe all this cud happen in Jordan:( ) |
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#8
12-20-2004, 11:52 PM
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The Budget
Oh, I think recent invention. This is a modest budget according to gentleman who wrote article as it covered so much--wages, upkeep, state visits--always pricey to present BEST image and KH and QN hosted many, many people from the US to Arafat to the royalty of Spain, England, and other Arabic countries. Staff received free housing, meals and other perks. That adds up fast. He said he was amazed "how simply" they lived when not hosting world leaders. In a Vanity Fair article in 1991 I think, this was confirmed by many Jordanian politicians and others who said the King and Queen lived more simply than many Jordanians......And while this is a budget I've presented, some of the cars, homes, etc., were gifts so I think it quite within reason.
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#9
12-20-2004, 11:58 PM
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The King's Major Slapping Manager.....
Hmmm....well, he really liked the King and Queen and this was in the midst of many troubles in the Middle East. The King had a vast protection detail and if a "new" major didn't recognize him or his ID, he may have felt it was his duty and part of protecting him......I don't see this guy as a liar in anyway. I didn't add he was invited to Jordan after article was written to re-visit w/his family as guests of King and Queen. I do think the King was genuinely upset about the incident but he was the target of so many assasination attempts.....I can't even begin to imagine how THAT felt, to live like that. I must not be as brave.
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#10
12-21-2004, 12:00 AM
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Wish I did. It was in the Washingtonian in the 80s--I'll get specific issue date tomorrow and post. Perhaps they can help or a library or magazine sellers have this back issue.....It's very good. I would've typed the whole thing but I'd still be typing........
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#11
12-21-2004, 07:01 AM
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#12
12-21-2004, 08:14 AM
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#13
12-21-2004, 07:45 PM
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#14
12-21-2004, 09:40 PM
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#15
12-21-2004, 11:37 PM
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No, have not read. What is it about? If you enjoyed it, I'm sure i would too! Thanks, Mary Shawn
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#16
12-21-2004, 11:55 PM
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I Don't Know.....
Having never been, I honestly don't know what to make of his remarks. He did say it was a particularly fractious time "All this was around the time of the Beirut bombings that killed the American marines. Another car bomb had exploded near American embassy in Amman....." Seemed there were greater than usual number of serious threats on KH's life. I would understand if the Jordanian people felt worried about his life and wanted to ensure his safety--even if it cost them their own lives. We have places even in the State I live in in the US where I have seen men and teens carrying guns.......a bit unusual but they felt needed to protect themselves. All I have seen of Jordan are beautiful photos and, of course, the sad funeral procession of KH. I don't think the major point of the piece was a criticism of any part of Jordan---that was a sentence or two on what he believed he saw. The rest was complimentary. In the end, being in a foreign country w/few friends as he was so busy working I think took its toll. It says something that after the piece came out, he still received an invitation from the King and Queen to visit again. So they didn't seem to be offended. But as you live in Jordan, I think, I will take your word as it stands. You clearly know/see more than the author. Thank you for your insights. Such comments are always helpful and provide the balance needed.
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#17
12-30-2004, 12:18 AM
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Thanks MS for posting the article. It's nice of you to take the time to find these articles and post them. One hundred and seventy-five cars? Thirty-six boats? That is extravagant...I'm assuming many were gifts. I wonder what happened to all of that "wealth" after KH passed. I mean I'm sured what was left of it was divided among family. Three hundred pairs of shoes...who needs that many pairs of shoes?
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My little Laila has arrived! |
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#18
12-30-2004, 09:34 PM
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Definitely, many were gifts.....but, yes, 300 pairs of shoes seemed to be a lot to you and I and many others. In certain circles, however, this is not considered abnormal. A woman in my own town in the U.S., who does not work but has lots of money obviously, showed me her closet once. I was floored, to say the least, as her "closet" consisted of three rooms--one entirely dedicated to Prada and some other designer she liked. She had shoes lined up under every outfit so she probably had more than even QN.....and saw it perfectly reasonable. Princess Diana also had a lot of shoes--at one count by her dresser, more than 400 pairs at the time of her death. One does wonder what happened to all of the boats, cars, etc. of KH. I expect they were dispersed among the family--which raises another question: Princess Diana's will explicitly stated certain things be given to certain people--but was disregarded by her family executors. I wonder who took responsibility for the distribution of KH's possessions.....I'm sure it was not just QN.
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#19
12-30-2004, 10:37 PM
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I was in Jordan recently and I went to a public exhibit of King Hussein's car collection. It was shocking and baffling, the hundreds of rare and priceless cars and motorcylces. Millions and Millions of dollars worth of vehicles were in there. I recall a couple of Lambourghini's, dozens of cars from all eras, all models, colours, some had very interesting past owners, too. Some signs stated that in the case of some they were gifts, mostly from Princes of Gulf States. Plus there were the cars used on state occasions (like Hamzah's wedding) in addition to private vehicles and also little toy cars used by the Princes when they were little. I was |
